


There's A Burning In Your Heart

by Mychelle_Wilmot



Category: Deep Dish Nine - Fandom, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Pizza Place, DD9, Deep Dish Nine, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Nebula Coffee, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 22:32:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6585208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mychelle_Wilmot/pseuds/Mychelle_Wilmot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Friendship and love can happen in the most mundane situations; for Ezri and Kes, it happened thanks to an accidental bump.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's A Burning In Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic settled in the Deep Dish Nine universe. Deep Dish Nine is beautiful AU created a few years ago in tumblr where everyone in Deep Space Nine works in a pizza place and everyone lives. Also, everyone is a human, and the Alien species here are different forms of cultures. For more informations, see the [Deep Dish Nine](http://deep-dish-nine.tumblr.com/) tumblr, or the [Deep Dish Nine Archive](http://deepdishninearchive.tumblr.com/) or even the [Deep Dish Nine tag](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/deep-dish-nine) on tumblr.
> 
> In this universe, Voyager is a Coffee Shop; Nebula's Coffee. Everyone is well and alive too.
> 
> I started writing this fic like... forever ago, and now I'm finally posting it. Man, I'm never writing crossover pairings again, it's hard. But anyway, I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Unbeta’d.

 

***

The first time they bumped into each other was in the afternoon of a sunny day, in the middle of Nebula’s Coffee.

Kes was taking a break; she almost didn't get any sleep on the last three days, worried about a test that she would have on college. Now it was done, but she needed to finish an essay, and she simply didn't have any other time to do it but in her breaks.

Working during the days in the Coffee shop and studying during the nights to get a nursing degree was exhaustive to say the least, but Kes really didn’t see any other options; she was very, very far away from her family and parents, or childhood friends. She was actually the only Ocampa living in that town, as far as she knew - generally speaking, the Ocampas were a very small community, and its people usually didn’t have the impulse to leave their homeland.

But Kes had. Since she was a little girl, she remembered dreaming about going away, about making herself a home among different people of different cultures and backgrounds. She loved her parents and her home, but she knew that she didn’t belong there; she wanted to live a different life, and she wanted to help people while she enjoyed that life.

Her parents were very understanding and supported her in all the ways they could, but the truth was that they were simple people who didn’t make a lot of money, and Kes couldn’t entirely depend on them to pay her student debts.

And that was how she came to work on Janeway’s Nebula Coffee.

Looking back, Kes thought that she was really lucky; she used to come to the shop every night and buy the cheapest coffee while she read her school papers. One day, the owner – Kathryn - came to talk with her and offered her a job with a flexible schedule.

It was one of the best things that ever happened in her life.

The coffee shop wasn’t just a job, a way for her to pay the rent. She made some of the best friends of her life working there. Kathryn was always warm and caring, and even if she was the boss, she worried and looked after Kes as if she was her own daughter. Kes also liked Annika – or, as she preferred to be called, Seven - who was often weird but was lovely nevertheless; Kes had some of the most deep conversations of her live with her.

Tuvok, the Vulcan who was Kathryn’s best friend, was aloof with most people but he sometimes acted like a father for Kes, and being so far away from her own father, she couldn’t help but appreciate the gesture. B’Elanna and her boyfriend, Tom, were also dear friends, just like Harry and Chakotay, who was Kathryn’s manager and one of her best friends for live, for what Kes could see.

And there was, of course, her best friend in the world – Louis, her grumpy doctor friend who didn’t like to be called Louis because it was his father’s name. Kes usually humoured him and called him only “Doctor”, even if it made her think that she was in a sci-fi TV show.

Louis was older, and a much respected doctor, even if too arrogant sometimes. He and Kathryn seemed to have been friends for their whole lives, and while Kathryn sometimes looked as if she wanted to strangle the doctor, Kes knew that their friendship was strong.

She came to know Louis shortly after she started working in the coffee shop; he wasn’t a employee, but sometimes he would lend a hand in the shop when Kathryn needed an extra person. B’Elanna hated him and the feeling was completely mutual, but he surprisingly took an immediate liking for Kes, and took her under his wing when he learned that she was getting a nursing degree.

So, as far as she could see, Kes had a good life. She was studying to exercise the profession that she always dreamed, and she had a good job with amazing friends on it; life could be better, but in her shoes, it was already pretty good.

Even in days like this, when she felt that, instead of writing the essay, she would sooner fall asleep on top of her notebook.

Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and decided that she needed to drink more of Kathryn’s extra strength coffee if she hoped to write it today, and stood up from the table where she was sitting.

But before she could reach the counter and ask Tom to fix her a cup, she felt a sharp pain in her head and saw herself in the floor; it took her a few seconds to realize that she was knocked out by the girl who was partially on top of her.

“Oh my god, I am so, so sorry!” The girl frantically tried, trying to get off Kes, but her attempts only managed to drop them on the floor again.

Kes really looked at her, then; she was a young woman, maybe even younger than her, with short black hair and striking blue eyes. Judging by the spots in her face, Kes presumed that she was a Trill.

It was on the tip of Kes’ tongue to say that they should try to work together, but before she could say anything, she saw Tom hurrying to their side.

“Hey, what happened here? Are you two alright?” He crouched and helped the girl to get on her feet, and then he helped Kes to do the same.

After they were both standing, Tom looked at both of them, concern shown in his handsome features. He turned first to the girl.

“Are you alright? Do you need anything?” He looked at Kes then “And you, Kes? Do you need anything? Ice, a painkiller?”

The girl quickly shook her head in denial, and more apologies escaped from her lips; Kes merely shook her head and smiled at him.

“I’m fine, Tom, really. It was just a bit of shock, I got it from here.”

Tom worried his lip between his teeth, looking pensive.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

Tom smiled a little then, squeezed her shoulder and returned to the counter, where two clients were waiting in a line for him, but not before saying, “If you need anything, just yell!”

Kes then turned to the girl, who was blushing and looking mortified.

“I’m terribly sorry, really; I’m usually a bit clumsy, but this is a whole new level, even for me.”

Kes only smiled, shaking her head.

“No need to apologize, there was no harm done.”

“Still... sorry for knocking you out” She looked sheepish “I just wanted to grab a cup of coffee before my class, not to knock anyone out.”

Looking at her pouting face, Kes couldn't help but smile wider.

“Really, it’s alright. Accidents happen, its normal.”

The girl didn't answer and still looked ashamed, and before the silence between them stretched into awkwardness, she offered her a hand.

“I guess you already got it from Tom, but my name is Kes. What is your name?”

The girl grabbed her hand, with a little too much enthusiasm.

“Ezri, Ezri Dax. I don't know if you ever went there, but I work around here, in the Deep Dish Nine pizza place with my sister Jadzia.”

A flicker of recognition appeared in Kes’ face when she heard the name.

“I never went there personally, but both Tom and Harry, my colleagues, love going in there, and I know it from name.”

The girl – Ezri, Kes reminded herself – smiled, even if she still appeared to be anxious, and before she could stop herself, Kes said:

“I’m on a break right now, and since we had a bumpy start... do you want to grab a coffee for a few minutes?”

Ezri looked startled for a moment, and Kes couldn’t blame her; she was startled with herself. It wasn’t her habit to invite clients in such a personal way.

She opened her mouth to apologize, but Ezri was quicker than her.

“I-I don’t have much time right now, just fifteen or twenty minutes, but if you don’t mind... yes, I would like so.”

Kes looked lost for words for a moment, but then she smiled, feeling anxious herself.

“Great! Do, hm, do you have any preference for a coffee?”

“No, not really. Just get me a cappuccino or an espresso, what is best.”

Kes nodded.

“Right, then. You can sit on that table with the notebook on top of it, where I was. I mean – if you want to, you can get another table if you want, I wouldn’t mind...”

Now that she was the one stuttering, Ezri smiled her first non nervous smile.

“That table is fine. I’ll... I’ll wait for you there.”

Taking a deep breath, Kes went to the counter to get their coffees, being faced with an amused Tom.

“Are you hanging out with clients now, Kes?” he asked as he prepared the couple of cappuccinos that Kes requested for herself and for Ezri.

Kes smiled, fighting the blush that was slowly spreading in her cheeks.

“I just met the girl, Tom. It’s nothing”, she assured him.

Tom looked dubious, but handed the cups to Kes with a wink that made her roll her eyes at him.

Bringing the cups to the table, Kes handed one of them to Ezri.

“I asked a cappuccino for both of us”, she explained “Because I really think your life changes after you start drinking Janeway’s cappuccino. I’m not trying to sell my product, but she does magic with coffee beans.”

Ezri smiled a little, but Kes could see that she doubted that the coffee could be that good, but still raised her cup to take a sip.

Kes looked at Ezri with expectation and a smile in her face; it was always priceless to see people’s reactions in the first time they drank anything from Nebula’s Coffee.

This time wasn’t an exception; the dubious expression in Ezri’s face quickly changed when she widened her eyes and let a long, delightful moan escape from her throat.

“Oh my god,” She looked at Kes in wonder, and then took another sip “This is stuff is amazing!”

Kes laughed, shaking her head.

“I told you. This coffee will spoil you, and you’ll not be satisfied with anything else ever again.”

Ezri nodded, still drinking.

“I see it now,” She said “It’s all a plan, to make me spend all my free money here. I have to say, it totally worked.”

Kes raised her brows.

“Glad to know that my evil plan worked.”

Ezri was drinking again, absorbed by her coffee, and they remained in silence. When Kes thought that they were again on the verge of a very awkward silence, she cleared her throat.

“So... you mentioned classes. Are you a student? What are you graduating?”

“Psychology,” Ezri promptly answered her “On Starfleet academy. It’s only my second semester, really, but it’s already driving me nuts. I mentioned that I work on Deep Dish Nine, right?” Kes nodded “Right, it’s just that the money is good and so it’s the schedules, and I need to help Jadzia to pay the rent – that is, my sister Jadzia, we live together. She never asks me to pay anything, but I feel uncomfortable if I don’t. Jadzia studies on Starfleet too - not psychology, of course, she’s getting an astrophysics degree and she’s on her last semester. She works on Deep Dish Nine too, maybe you know her – really tall and pretty and smart, that’s my sister. Ben – Ben Sisko, DD9’s owner – it’s an old friend of the family, he was friends with dad and Jadzia and me since forever, and...”

Ezri stopped talking very suddenly.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry. I have the tendency of babbling. Next time, just tell me to shut up, ok?”

Kes started to protest that she didn’t mind at all, but Ezri raised one hand.

“Enough of me, I talk too much. Tell me a little about you,” Ezri smiled, before taking another sip.

“Well... I’m on Starfleet academy, too. I’m getting a nursing degree, and I’m on my third semester. I work on Janeway’s to pay my bills too, the time is great and they’re all like family for me.”

“I consider the people on Deep Dish Nine like family, too,” Ezri said, softly “But you don’t have any relatives here? Parents, or maybe a sibling, cousins?”

“I was an only child,” Kes explained “And no for the rest, too, I’m on my own here. Mom and dad support me in the ways they can, but they stayed back home, in Ocampa.”

Ezri’s eyes immediately widened.

“You’re an Ocampa?”

“That’s right” Kes said, taking a final sip on her cup.

“Wow. I mean... wow, I never met an Ocampa before!” Ezri was still looking surprised, but then she quickly shook her head “God, that was rude again, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, I can’t seem to stop putting my foot on my mouth today.”

“That’s ok,” Kes quickly assured her “I don’t think there’s another Ocampa in the entire Alpha Quadrant but me. I suppose I’m bit of an outcast for my people. It’s not common at all for an Ocampa to leave for such a distant place, but... I always wanted more for my life.”

Ezri looked at her with some empathy in her big eyes.

“It sounds a bit lonely,” she said after a few moments.

Kes sighed.

“Sometimes it is, and I miss them all so much, but... dreams aren’t always easy to follow. And I did found a family of sorts around here.”

Ezri had a pensive look in her face, and Kes tried to not demonstrate her own surprise at her words; she never opened herself so easily for strangers like that.

After that, they both stayed quiet for a few minutes, until Ezri glanced at the clock in the wall and started to grab her stuff.

“Oh god, I really didn’t see the time pass, but I have to go.”

“That’s ok, it’s time for me to get back to work, too”, Kes got up from her chair too.

Ezri smiled awkwardly for a few seconds, and seemed like she wanted to give Kes a handshake, but changed her mind.

“Thank you for the wonderful cup, and for the company. It was nice meeting you.”

“The pleasure was all mine”, Kes said as she watched Ezri almost running off the shop.

***

The second time that Kes and Ezri met was in a cold day, two weeks after their first encounter, right on front of Starfleet academy main entry. Unlike the first time, they were able to stop before they actually bumped into each other.

“Oh god, we have to stop meeting like that,” Ezri said, her cheeks painted pink, but Kes couldn’t say if it was a shy blush or if it was caused by the cold wind.

“I agree,” She laughed “But nevertheless, it’s really good to see you again.”

“You too!” Ezri said, too loud, and quickly avoided eye contact.

 “So... are you going to a class right now?” Kes asked, before they could fall in silence.

“No, no, I just had a lecture, and I had a scheduled class, but it seems like Miss Noel cancelled it...” She frowned “What about you?”

“I will have a lecture with Dr. Pulaski, but I have about two free hours until it starts.”

Ezri nodded, and shifted from foot to foot, seeming to not know what to say, until she licked her lips and fixed her eyes on Kes.   

“I’ll have to wait for Jadzia to give me a lift so I don’t have to walk to DS9, so I can’t really leave yet, so... do you want to go the library and study for a while? I mean, I’m not sure if we would have much in common to study, but still...”

Kes was pleasantly surprised with the turn of the events, and quickly agreed.

“Yes, I would love to, actually.”

Losing a bit of the anxious air around her, Ezri gave her a beautiful smile.

“Right. Study, then, it is,” She said, before turning and walking to their destination, Kes right behind her.

***

“You’re joking,” Kes said flatly, looking at Ezri as if she had lost her mind.

“Believe me, I wish I was. The image of Jadzia and Ben with lips locked will forever burn in my mind, “She shuddered.

“Chocolates with aphrodisiac? Really?” Kes shook her head.

“I swear!” Ezri said loudly – a bit too loud, if the glare that the librarian sent to them was any clue “Everyone ate them, and everyone was affected. We all went nuts and started to make out with each other. Jadzia kissed Ben, Julian and Kira were making out... it was a mess. We were lucky that Lwaxana – Odo’s friend, the one who gave us the chocolates – arrived before any of us could go any further.”

Kes was biting her lip and smiling widely, trying to not laugh out loud – the librarian lady was glaring at her and Ezri for some time now.

Not that she would blame her, considering that she and Ezri had barely opened their books; they were instead talking nonstop for more than an hour, now.

“What was she doing with aphrodisiacs chocolates, anyway?” Kes asked, still having trouble believing Ezri’s story.

“Apparently it was meant for a Betazoid-only party that she was hosting, and the chocolates were kind of an expected flavour there. She only noticed that she gave the wrong chocolates to Odo when the people in the party were acting in a too much behaved way.”

“Did you kiss anyone?” Kes blurted, and Ezri immediately blushed “I’m sorry, you don’t have to say anythi...”

“That’s ok,” Ezri smiled, still a bit flushed, “I kissed Leeta. She’s a regular, a friend, sometimes even helps Kira or Jadzia out... and she is Rom’s girlfriend. Rom is our fix-it man when Miles is busy, and... as you can imagine, it was really awkward the next few times I saw him.”

“I can imagine,” Kes said with a small smile, feeling a bit flushed herself when her mind started to conjure images of Ezri making out with some unknown woman.

After a few more minutes of an awkward silence, Ezri sighed.

“You can ask, you know.”

“Ask what?” Kes tried to appear clueless, but Ezri only lifted her brows, and Kes ducked her head, but smiled slightly.

“So, do you... like girls, or it was just a one time, chocolate induced thing?”

It took a long time for Ezri to answer, long enough to make Kes afraid that she had misinterpreted and offended Ezri, after all.

“I’m not really sure, you know? Maybe, but... I don’t know.”

Kes frowned, but Ezri didn’t notice, distracted with her own thoughts.

“I mean, I know what you’re thinking... _‘But how don’t you know?’_... it’s just... it’s not that easy. I’ve been with men, and I know I like them, but while I’ve felt attracted to women, I never... really went there. Fear or something, I don’t know, but I’m not sure if I would be with a woman, maybe it’s only curiosity, but... it’s a high possibility.”

“I see,” Kes murmured, not looking at Ezri.

“This... is not going to be a problem, is it?” Ezri’s words were gentle, but there was something harsher, defensive in her voice, something that Kes hadn’t heard before.

“Oh, no, no, no, of course not, I...” Kes was shaking her head and her hands “It’s just very... new for me. I have no problem at all, I’m sorry if it appeared that I was being offensive.”

“What do you mean with ‘very new’ for you?” Ezri’s tone now was kinder, with more curiosity than hostility.

“Ocampa is a small place. Well, that’s... kind of an understatement. Ocampa is a very, very small place, and as such, everyone knows each other and everyone wants to remain as ordinary as possible, and any people belonging to a minority didn’t have an easy time, so, let me just say that Ocampa isn’t well known for being a safe place for gay people.”

Kes wasn’t looking at Ezri, feeling a bit ashamed of admitting just how much small and limited some views of her hometown really are.

When she finally took courage to look at Ezri again, her eyes were now much more compassionate.

“I’m sorry if I was a bit defensive before, it’s just that my sister is pansexual, and while she can defend herself completely, I suppose that I became a little protective on her behalf.”

“No, that’s ok,” Kes reassured her “And you were right... you know, that was one of the reasons that I wanted to leave my hometown. They’re good people, they’re honest and good workers, but they are too attached to their own beliefs and costumes to accept diversity so easily – and I don’t mean only diversity on sexuality, but any kind of diversity. It became really frustrating, intolerable with the passing of the years.”

Ezri squeezed her shoulder and Kes looked at her, a bit surprised; Ezri opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, they both heard a voice coming from the door.

“Ezri, there you are!

Both of them looked in the voice’s direction, and Kes was greeted with the sight of a stunning young woman, very tall, bright blue eyes and dark brown hair; beside her was a woman that appeared to be of the same age, slight smaller, with light brown hair and green eyes.

Both of them had the tattoos common for Trill people in their faces.

As they approached, Ezri cleared her throat, and pointed at them.

“Kes, this is my sister, Jadzia,” she pointed at the taller woman “And her girlfriend, Lenara. Jadzia and Lenara, this is my friend, Kes.”

Kes shyly shook the hands of Jadzia and Lenara; Lenara had a polite smile, but Jadzia beamed at her.

“Ezri told me about you! You’re the woman of the coffee-accident on Nebula’s Coffee, aren’t you?”

 “I’m afraid I would be the one,” Kes said, curios about what exactly Ezri told her sister about her.

“So, Jadzia, were you looking for me?”

Jadzia turned to her sister as if suddenly remembering that she was in the room.

“Oh, right! I’m heading home now to a change of clothes before going to DD9 and I was looking for you to see if you wanted a ride. Unless you have something else to do...?” she looked at Kes with raised brows.

“No, not all, not really, why would I be doing something else if I was already waiting for you?”

Jadzia grinned at Ezri’s nervous babbling.

“No reason at all, sis,”Sshe shook her head and then looked at Kes “Do you want a lift too?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I have a class with Dr. Pulaski in...” She glanced at her phone “Twenty minutes”, she said, surprised in seeing how quickly the time passed.

Jadzia gave her a very large smile.

“Katherine is delightful! I never had classes with her, but I met her here and there during some elective classes. She’s a very, very clever woman.”

“Her classes are very entertaining, to say the least,” Kes said, and received a blinding smile in return, smiling involuntarily in response; Jadzia’s smile was contagious.

“Jadzia,” Ezri said with a pained sigh.

“Right, house and then DD9, it is. I hope I see you around more often, Kes. I’ll wait you on the car Ezri, don’t take too long,” Jadzia said, and with Lenara by his side, she exited the library.

Ezri quickly started to throw all her papers and notebooks on her bag, without a proper order. Kes winced internally, thinking that in her place, it would take forever to separate her study material again.

When she finished, she turned to Kes again.

“I’m sorry for the interruption and for my flirty sister, but I really have to go.”

Kes shook her head with a smile.

“No, that’s alright, good work for you. And I don’t mind, your sister seems to be a very... charming person.”

“That’s one way of putting it,”She laughed, and for a few seconds, she hesitated; Kes thought that she was thinking about a hug or a goodbye kiss in the cheek, but in the end she just shook her head and almost ran in the direction of the exit’s door.

“Bye Kes, see you around!”

The librarian look disapprovingly in Kes’s direction – Ezri had said goodbye in a loud tone of voice, and everyone in the library was staring at her. Feeling her cheeks burning, Kes quickly put her own study papers in her purse (in a more organized fashion) and exited the library herself, ready to distract her mind with Katherine Pulaski’s class.

***

After the first two messy encounters, Kes met Ezri in diverse occasions; mornings and afternoons on Starfleet courtyard, quickly coffee runs on Nebula’s Coffee and in a memorable occasion, an encounter at a Wallmart during a Saturday afternoon, while both of them were doing grocery shopping.

In every encounter, Kes discovered something new about Ezri; now she knew the name and surname of every Deep Dish Nine employee, which ones were closer to Ezri, all the classes that she had and the name of her teachers, and even some more delicate, personal things.

For example, Ezri confessed to her during a quiet day at Starfleet academy that, while she loved her sister, she always felt inferior compared to her, and sometimes it was really hard to not demonstrate.

“She would be so upset if I told her,” Ezri said, not looking at Kes, “But I can’t avoid it. Growing up, everyone was always telling Jadzia how smart she was, how beautiful, how charming... and they looked at me and said that I was very cute and that I have my sister’s eyes.”

“I kind of feel like a spoiled brat for it, because I should know better – Jadzia is very protective of me, like big sisters are and she would hate to know that I always feel like I’m not enough next to her because it’s not like that for her at all, I know it, but... it’s hard to feel any other way when she’s perfect in just about everything.”

Kes heard everything patiently, and when Ezri finished, looking sad with big, teary eyes, she put a hand in her arm and squeezed.

“Your sister is very charming, and beautiful and funny, I can’t deny. And I can tell you that what you just said is nonsense because it’s not like that, but you already know that and you _do_ feel this way, and your feelings are valid, even if they’re not based on the real truth. But for what’s worth – you are my favourite Dax.”

The blinding smile that she received in return made Kes smile too, feeling warmth surrounding her chest.

With Ezri telling her such personal confidences, Kes started to feel confident enough to also share some personal matters with her.

“You had a thing with that blond guy that I always see on my coffee runs?”

Ezri voice sounded amused, and Kes rolled her eyes, trying to not blush.

“Not a thing. I used to have a crush on him, but it didn’t go anywhere. That was before he started dating B’Elanna and after I ended my relationship with Neelix.”

“Who is Neelix?”

Kes avoided her eyes, thinking for a few seconds, and then looked at Ezri again.

“Neelix was my boyfriend. We started dating the week I came to live here. He works as our fix it man on the Nebula’s, and sometimes as a delivery boy. He’s a good person, but...”

“But didn’t work out?” Ezri tried to say.

“It’s just... we lived in different worlds. He’s older than me, and I guess that we wanted different things from a relationship, and I wasn’t ready for the things he wanted. Marriage, kids... I’m still so young, and I’m really not ready for any of it. And he used to be really jealous and possessive of me, you know? I don’t mind a little, playful jealousy, but it was like he wanted to own me. It all got to a point that I couldn’t stand anymore, so I ended things. We stopped seeing each other for a while, but we’re friendlier these days.”

Ezri made a sympathetic noise, and Kes just shrugged; she still felt a little uncomfortable thinking about that time, but it didn’t bother her anymore.

Maybe picking her discomfort, Ezri had started to talk about a difficult class that she was having, and Kes remembered smiling gratefully at her then; she trusted that Ezri wouldn't say anything, but she still felt weird exposed in confessing such personal stories after so little time knowing her.

“Earth to Kes! Kes, come in!”

Started out of her thoughts, Kes looked around and saw B’Elanna standing in front of her with her eyebrows raised, and noticed that it wasn’t the first time that B’Elanna called her name.

“I’m sorry B’Elanna, I was distracted,” Kes said, embarrassed.

“I noticed,” B’Elanna shook her head “But it’s ok. It’s just, apparently Neelix can’t come in today and Kathryn is waiting for some suppliers, so the boss wanted to know if you can make a delivery. If you can’t, she’ll send Harry, but she seems to think that you’ll appreciate the walk.”

“Why is that?” Kes asked, a bit wary.

“It’s a big delivery on DD9. That friend of yours it’s from there, isn’t it? What her name?”

“Ezri. And yeah, she’s from there. I’ll do it B’Elanna, you can let Harry pretending that he is cleaning the machines for a while longer.”

B’Elanna smirked and gave the word to Kathryn; a few minutes later, Kathryn herself appeared in front of Kes, looking hasty.

“Kes, thank you for doing it. Today it’s being crazy here, and I know you don’t make deliveries, but...”

“That’s okay, Kathryn, really...”

“Here, take the keys of Voyager”, she put the keys in Kes’ hands “And take the seventh basket, the only one for delivery, and go. I’ll see you later, and thank you again.”

Before Kes could say anything, Kathryn was already running in one of the tables, so Kes quickly retrieved the basket and hurried to Voyager.

The Voyager was the official car for deliveries; a small and compact beauty, that Kes absolutely loved, but never got the chance to drive. She would relish the opportunity now, even if it wouldn’t take her more than five minutes to get on DD9.

And indeed, driving her was a delight; she couldn’t understand how Tom and Kathryn were always getting themselves lost in the middle of city, because she sure seemed like a reliable vehicle.

Too soon, she found herself in the DD9 parking lot, and after parking the car, she scooped up the basket and walked to the front door.

The first thing she noticed was a delicious smell of fresh, hot pizza. She smiled, appreciating the scent, and looked around for a few seconds before she heard a voice.

“Hey, you’re the Nebula’s Coffee girl, right?”

She looked around and saw a redhead woman walking towards her, a cap in her head.

“Yes, I am,” Kes smiled “And I’m assuming this basket is for you?”

“You’re assuming right,” The woman said, taking the basket from Kes’ arms and putting it in the balcony “You arrived just in time; everyone needs their daily dose of caffeine. I’m Nerys, by the way, Deep Dish Nine’s manager,” The woman said, giving Kes her hand for a handshake.

So that was Kira Nerys, the warm but hot headed woman that Ezri said so much about for Kes, and that Tom seemed to adore; she caught her hand in a firm handshake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kes.”

Nerys face assumed a strange expression, but then she gave Kes a bright smile.

“Oh, you’re Ezri’s Kes, aren’t you?”

There was something more implied in the tone of those simple words, and Kes frowned a little.

“I... beg your pardon?”

“You’re Ezri’s friend, the nurse student that works at Nebula’s Coffee, aren’t you? Ezri doesn’t shut up about you.”

Kes felt herself blushing, and smiled shyly.

“She talks about me, then?”

“She talks about you all the time, seriously,” A new voice said, and Kes looked around, seeing Jadzia coming from the kitchen “Hi Kes! But yeah, my sister seems to like mentioning you several times a day.”

Kes blushed harder, and in that moment, she saw Ezri coming from the kitchen too; she was full in uniform, a cap in her head, and she looked absolutely adorable in Kes’ opinion.

Ezri looked at Nerys and Jadzia’s direction to Kes, and then repeated the process.

“What are you three talking about?” She asked suspiciously.

“Nothing”, Nerys and Jadzia said at the same time; Ezri narrowed her eyes, but the two women ignored her, and returned to their respective tasks with smiles on their faces.

“Seriously, what were they telling you?” She asked Kes, when she came closer enough.

“Only that apparently you can’t stop talking about me,” Kes smirked, even if the idea still made her flustered.

Ezri’s face became really red, and she mumbled something like “Don’t mind them; they’re trying to mess with you. Or more likely, with me”, and looked even more adorable.

She released a deep breath, and looked at Kes as if she was trying to forget the last few minutes.

“Can you stay for a while? Have a slice of pizza or something?”

“I’m afraid I have to go back, I’m still on my shift,” She apologized; she really wanted to stay there for a while longer.

Ezri’s face fell, but she quickly shrugged.

“Oh, well, another time.”

“Why don’t you come back later on? Ezri said you don’t have classes on Fridays, and we have some truly good stuff today. You really need to prove Ben’s house speciality.”

“Jadzia!” Ezri said, looking disapprovingly at her sister after she finished speaking “Stop pushing her!”

“I’m just saying,” Jadzia shrugged “We have special prices, too, especially for students.”

“I would love to, actually,” Kes said, attracting the attention of both sisters towards her “That is, if it’s okay with you, Ezri.”

“It’s her free night today, you two can have dinner together. I mean, if both of you want to get dinner together,” Jadzia smiled at the expression of fury in Ezri’s face.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude in your plans, if you have something to do,” Ezri said, ignoring Jadzia and looking at Kes.

“Wouldn’t be an intrusion for me. But for you?” Ezri shook her head “Great, so...”

Ezri fidgeted, but didn’t look away from Kes.

“Can I meet you at... 7:30 p.m.? Is that okay?”

“Of course, yes, yes, that would be great,” Ezri still looked frightened, but she was smiling a bit.

“Great, so...”

“So...”

“I’ll just, I’ll...  I have to return no Nebula’s.”

“Of course, so... till later.”

“Until then,” Kes said, practically running into the door in her way back; she felt warm all over, and even if she and Kes never once approached the topic, she was pretty sure that she just had agreed with a date.

***

“You have a date?”

“It’s not a date,” She complained “It’s just a casual meeting of friends.”

Harry was looking dubiously at her, a small smile into the corner of his lips.

“Oh, come on,” She rolled her eyes “You hang out like this all the time with Tom, and no one calls it a date.”

“It’s different,” Harry said, defensively.

“How so?”

“Well, for one, I haven’t been talking nonstop about Tom for weeks and I definitely don’t get this nervous with the idea of meeting him.”

“I’m not nervous!” She exploded, and when she looked around, everyone in the kitchen was looking at her, Kathryn included.

“What is going on?”

“It’s nothing, Kathryn, don’t worry,” She said, glaring at Harry.

“Kes has a date and it’s freaking out,” Harry said with a teasing smile in his lips.

“It’s not a date, I told you! I’m just going to meet Ezri on Deep Dish Nine for dinner, that’s all,” Kes said, crossing her arms.

Kathryn just smiled at her in a soft, strange way, and then looked at Harry more severely.

“Harry, stop bothering her and go wash those cups waiting in the sink,” Harry rolled his eyes, but obeyed “And you, Kes... go home, get ready for your meeting.”

“Kathryn, it’s not necessary, really...”

“I insist. You’ve been working a lot lately, you deserve this. Go on, have fun with your friend.”

As she spoke, Kathryn was with her hands in Kes’s shoulders, pushing her towards the door.

“Alright, I’m going, but if you need anything...”

“I won't hesitate in calling you,” Kathryn quickly said “Now go on, Kes. Live a little.”

Smiling slightly at the soft expression in her boss’s face, Kes made her way home, feeling incredible grateful for her friends.

***

Kes arrived in DD9 five minutes later than the time they had agreed, at 7:35 p.m.; she took longer than she imagined at picking an outfit, changing her mind several times, until she finally choose a purple dress that she thought it was casual but pretty enough.

She didn’t want to look like she was trying to make an impression, but she did want to look nice.

When she walked on DD9, the letters on the sign with the establishment’s name were already lit, and she looked around and checked the hour in her phone; she was late, but Ezri was nowhere in sight.

She bit her lip, a bit nervous and unsure of what to do, when she heard her name. She looked around, and saw a young man in a DD9 uniform looking at her with a small smile.

“You’re Kes, right? I’m Julian. I’m a friend of Ezri’s, and she asked me to warn you that she might be a little late.”

Kes smiled, relieved, even if she was still feeling anxious with the idea of waiting too long for her.

“Thanks for the warning. You... wouldn’t know why she will be late, would you?” She said, already against the idea of imposing her presence if Ezri was busy.

“Not really, but it’s not hard to guess,” Julian shrugged “Ezri is not a very punctual person. She’s always fashionable late.”

Kes ducked her head a bit, easily seeing Ezri as one of those persons who couldn’t get in time for a compromise for nothing in the world.

“Don’t worry; she’s probably going to turn in soon enough. Grab a table and sit in.”

With that, Julian smiled once more and went inside doors.

Kes looked around; there weren’t many people inside, it was still early. In one of the tables there were a couple of teenagers, a long-limbed young man and a smiling young woman; they probably weren’t over eighteen. They were distracted, with papers and drawings all over their table and giggling low, and she remembered that Ezri once commented about Benjamin Sisko’s only son and his girlfriend, Jake and Tora Ziyal.

Besides the young couple, there was a Betazoid brunette with curly dark hair in one table and a redhead woman sitting beside her, an Asian woman with two little kids, and a middle-aged man with black hair and pale skin; she never met a Cardassian before, but she knew right then that she was looking at one.

When she looked at him for too long, he seemed to sense her stare and raised his own eyes to stare back at her.

It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed to last an eternity, because his gaze upon her was really making Kes uncomfortable. It wasn’t a lustful gaze, but he was looking at her as if assessing her, and there was something vaguely hostile in his expression.

But even so, for some reason Kes couldn’t take his eyes off him, and he eventually asked.

“Can I help you?”

This seemed to take Kes out of her stupor, and she quickly shook her head.

“No, no, I’m sorry, I just...”

The man made a gesture with his hand and Kes stopped talking; his accessing expression was gone, and Kes saw a very polite smile in her direction.

“Let’s start again. Are you looking for someone? I don’t think I ever saw you here before, and I’m quite a regular on this establishment.”

Kes hesitated, but she didn’t want to appear even more rude, so she walked a few steps on his direction.

“I’m just waiting for one of the members of the staff, we have a... meeting, but she’s late and I don’t know where she usually sits.”

The man smiled at her and pointed at a table in the other side of the room.

“The youngest Miss Dax usually likes to sit there when she’s alone. I would think it’s a good guess.”

Kes looked a bit startled at him.

“How did you...”

“I could say that you look roughly the same age as Ezri Dax, and that she’s the only member of the staff that has a day off today, but really, the truth is that Julian told me.”

Kes felt some relief, but she was still feeling a bit unsure.

“Right. So, you are...”

“My name is Garak, and yes, I am Julian’s friend.”

Only then Kes relaxed; Ezri had mentioned Garak before. Ezri seemed unsure if she should call him Julian’s friend or Julian’s boyfriend, but she didn’t want to make assumptions.

“Oh, right. Ezri mentioned you. Hm, thank you”, she said, still unsettled.

“You are welcome,” Garak was still smiling at her “May I ask you something?”Kes frowned, but nodded at him. “I hope you can forgive my curiosity, but I feel compelled to ask. You are an Ocampa, aren’t you?

“Yes, I am, but how can you tell?” Kes looked strangely at him “No one ever knows, unless I tell them.”

“I’ve been in Ocampa before; I know what your people look like. Peculiar little place. You’re a long way from home, aren’t you? But then again, so am I.”

After this, Kes only appeared to be even more intrigued.

“If I can ask something too, what were you doing in Ocampa? There’s not much to see there. In fact, no one ever goes there.”

It was truth; Kes was ten years old the first time she saw a foreign person on Ocampa, and it was a Vulcan academic man, giving a lecture in the only local university.

“You may, it’s only fair after my question. And oh, it’s quite banal. I worked a few weeks there as a gardener to a wealth man.”

“You’re a gardener?” Kes looked at him in disbelieve; she didn’t know what the man did for a living, but she would never guess that he was a gardener.

“No, I was a gardener. I’m a tailor, now. As a matter of fact, I own the little shop down the street. If you ever need fashion advice, don’t hesitate in going to me,” Garak smirked.

The idea of him being a tailor was even more unbelievable, but before Kes could say anything, she heard Julian’s voice in their direction.

“Garak, would you stop bothering her? She’s just waiting for Ezri,” He said, as he put a dish on Garak’s table.

“I was just trying to have polite conversation,” Garak protested.

Julian rolled his eyes, and turned to Kes “Ezri texted me, and she’ll be here in a few minutes. She made me promise that I wouldn’t let you leave before she arrived.”

“I’m not thinking in leaving,” Kes said, confused.

“Tell her that when she arrives,” He smiled warmly at her and then turned again in Garak’s direction “I, uh, I’ll have to work for at least more forty minutes. Do you mind waiting, or do you want...”

“I have nowhere to go right now, my dear,” Garak said, his voice much softer than when he was talking with her.

Julian seemed awkward for a few moments, but smiled too, and when they just kept gazing into each other’s eyes, she discretely went in the direction of the table that Garak had previously pointed to her.

She just sat there, toying with the menu without really reading the dishes, when she heard a very familiar voice.

“I’m so, so sorry for the delay! Really, I’m sorry. Did you wait too long?”

Kes looked up, and saw a very nervous Ezri looking at her; she was wearing tight black jeans with a simple, but pretty blue t-shirt, that suited her frame very well, leaving the Trill tattoos in her neck exposed.

“Please, say something,” Ezri almost whispered, and Kes noted that she was staring.

“No, that’s ok. I didn’t have to wait too long, and Julian told me that you would be a little late.”

“I’m always late for everything,” Ezri said, sitting down “It’s so annoying, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“No, really,” Ezri sighed.

“It’s really ok, Ezri. Julian told me, and while I was a bit lost in where to sit, one of your clients, Garak, helped me out.”

That made Ezri pause, and look at Kes with an amused expression.

“So, you already met him. Julian adores him, but he scares me sometimes.”

“Why? Did he ever say anything to you?”

“Not really, he’s usually very respectful to all the staff. It’s the way he looks at me and everyone here that freaks me out sometimes. He is... I don’t know, he can look harmless if he wants, but there’s always something dangerous under the surface. But anyway, let’s talk about you... have you ordered yet?”

“No, I was waiting for you. You work here, you must have some suggestion,” Kes said.

Ezri narrowed her eyes, an expression of concentration in her face.

“Do you want some of the specials? We have a few salads, some other dishes, but pizza is the speciality.”

“I’m a student. Pizza is completely fine to me.”

Ezri laughed, and Kes avoided her eyes.

“Well, then, I would suggest Ben’s special. It’s a family recipe, and it’s absolutely delicious.”

“Is it expensive?” Kes asked, suddenly worried “I don’t have much money, you know...”

“Nope, it’s promotion day. And Ben let us eat for a more economical price. Besides, I’m not a cheap date, you don’t need to pay!”

After Ezri’s statement, there was a rather awkward silence that Kes had to break first.

“Is this... a date, a real date?”

Ezri didn’t look at her.

“Do you want it to be?” She mumbled.

This time, it was Kes who looked down, unsure.

“I don’t really know, I’m just... maybe?”

When she looked up again, Ezri was trying to give her a small smile.

“Maybe is fine, it’s good enough for me.”

Before Kes could say anything, Ezri was rising from her chair.

“I’ll just make our request, then. And oh, what do you want to drink?”

“Part of me wants to be fancy and ask for a glass of wine,” Kes admitted “But the other part doesn’t want to wake up with a hangover tomorrow, so I’ll stick with a coke.”

Ezri laughed and looked relieved, and quickly walked away to the balcony to make their requests.

***

“This is really good” Kes said, after swallowing a piece of the steaming pizza on front of her.

Ezri looked smug, obviously proud of DD9’s quality.

“I told you,” She said “I just wished that Ben would share the recipe with us, but he’s very secretive about it.”

“I would be, too, if I knew how to cook this well,” Kes said.

Ezri smiled, but didn’t say anything; she was eating her own portion of pizza.

After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Ezri initiate the conversation this time.

“I’m still sorry about my sister and Nerys cornering you like that. I would have you know that I gave them both an earful and told them to mind their own business. I just hope that you didn’t need to walk too far from home to here.”

 “Please, don’t worry about it. I mean it. And no, I didn’t; I live on a small flat on the Delta Quadrant, near Nebula’s Coffee. It’s no more than fifteen minutes walking.”

“Oh, that’s nice” Ezri smiled “Jadzia and I share a small house here on Gamma Quadrant, a bit far from DD9, but she has a car. It’s cosy, even if I wouldn’t mind if we lived in a flat.”

“I like my building. I live on the fourth floor, and I love it. It’s high enough, but not too much high.”

“It sounds like there’s something more in what you just say. Am I right?” Ezri asked, curious with Kes’ words.

“Sort of. Most of our houses in Ocampa are of subterranean architecture. My own room never had sunlight; I felt like I was always living on the dark.”

She put her fork down, her thoughts far away from there.

“I always dreamed about living in a high, sunny place... but after living so long in the darkness, I didn’t want to expose myself to the full light so soon.”

“There’s both poetry and symbolism in this thought. Consider me very impressed,” Ezri smiled.

“I hope I can continue to impress you,” Kes flirted coyly, and smiled at Ezri’s blush.

“I hope so, too,” She smiled, and once again they resumed the comfortable silence while they ate their meals.

***

“Kes? Kes, are you listening to me?”

Kes blinked, and looked at Louis, who was eyeing her disapprovingly.

“I’m sorry,” She said “I guess I’m a bit distracted today.”

“You don’t have time to be distracted,” He shook his head “When you have exams, there’s no such thing as distractions. So I suggest that you leave your new boyfriend’s trouble for later.”

“I don’t have a new boyfriend,” Kes protested, putting her notebook on her lap.

Louis smiled smugly at her.

“I know this look on your face. This was the way you looked when you had just started to see Neelix. Not that I ever understood what you had ever seen on him, but...” Louis shrugged.

“Neelix is a very kind person, with a good heart!” Kes replied, a bit offended.

“Whatever. I don’t care about your old lover boy or your new lover boy, as long as he treats you well. What I care right now is or you answering correctly your exercises, so, come on,” Louis said, pointing at Kes’ closed notebook.

“It’s not a boy,” Kes murmured, making Louis stop and raise his brows.

“Not a boy?” Kes nodded “But... there is someone?”

Kes bit her lip, and nodded again.

Louis looked confused for a few seconds, his eyebrows even higher in his forehead.

“I didn’t know you swing in that way, Kes.”

“Neither did I, to be honest. I’m... I’m still not sure I do.”

Louis sat down, besides Kes, still looking a little lost.

“Who is this woman?”

“It’s Ezri,” Kes replied “I told you about her.”

“The shy thing from the coffee incident?”

“That would be her, yes” Kes said, raising an eyebrow at her friend’s description “We have been hanging out a lot, and yesterday, we went in a date... well, sort of, together.”

Louis just nodded, and remained silent.

“I’m not sure in how I feel about her just yet. I’m not even sure if I’m really attracted to her, or if I’m just curious.”

“Curiosity moves the world,” Louis said “That one of our most important motivators. Curiosity changed the world in deeply ways, the science, even our society. It’s normal to be curious.”

“I know, but not all of our curiosities satisfy us. Sometimes... sometimes we are curious about something, but we don’t like it when we experiment it.”

“You won’t know until you experiment, you know that.”

“Yes, but... I’m not talking about a pair of shoes or a bottle of wine here,” Kes protested “I’m talking about my friend. I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship. I can’t play with her feelings like that, Louis.”

“Doctor,” he immediately corrected.

“Doctor,” she rolled her eyes.

“I’m not sure what you want me to tell you, Kes. I’m a man of science, and I’m not good with feelings. I’m a bachelor for choice and I’m no specialist, but... but I’m your friend. And as your friend, the only thing I can say to you is to proceed carefully, and to be honest. People hate the truth, but they hate the aftermath of a lie even more.”

“Thank you, Doctor... I guess,” Kes said, frowning.

“You’re more than welcome,” Louis said “Now, boy trouble or girl trouble, I don’t care, just get back to work, young lady!”

Kes rolled her eyes again, but when she opened her notebook, she was smiling.

***

“Are things going to be weird between us now?”

Kes startled with the sound of Ezri’s voice - they were in silence for several minutes.

“Weird? What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” Ezri said, impatiently “Weird now, after that day. After the... almost date thing.”

Kes suppressed a sigh; they were currently sitting side by side on the ground of Starfleet’s courtyard, their bags on the grass, but even if the scenery was familiar and cosy, the tension between them since their “date” spoke volumes. 

“I don’t see why it has to be weird” Kes said, trying to sound casual “We’re friends. We might want to step further, but we don’t have too.”

“You’re really not helping me out here, Kes,” Ezri shook her head.

Kes sighed, lowering her eyes.

“I don’t want to lie to you, or toy with your feelings. Or assume things, by the way.”

“Assume?”

“Most of time, it seems like we’re not talking directly here, Ezri. It’s like the elephant on the room; we dance around this subject, but we don’t really talk about it.”

“Mention it, then!”  Ezri said, crossing her arms.

“Ezri, are you attracted to me?”

The bluntness of the question rendered Ezri speechless for a few seconds.

“Well, when you resolve to be direct, you really mean it, uh?” She said, looking down.

It was Kes’ turn to cross her arms; now that she vocalized the question, she wanted a clear answer.

Ezri took long minutes to answer, but finally, she raised her head and looked in Kes’ eyes.

“I am. I don’t... It’s still confusing to me, but I do know that I feel attracted to you.”

The confirmation wasn’t exactly something surprising, but still, hearing the words shocked Kes.

“What about you?” Ezri asked, looking nervous again.

The last person who confessed that he had feelings for Kes was Neelix; and while she told him that she felt the same, she wasn’t really sure, and in the end, she just ended up breaking his heart.

And while their situations were highly different for several reasons, she was determinate to not do the same with Ezri.

“I think I do, but honestly... I’m not sure, Ezri, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

Ezri’s expression fell, but she was also visibly doing her best to appear normal.

“Thank you for being honest to me. I may not like it very much, but I appreciate it.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you. You deserve better than that,” Kes said, her voice even lower than usual, and looked at Ezri’s face.

Ezri smiled nervously, but raised her eyes too.

“I...” Ezri opened her mouth, but seemed to not know what to say; Kes kept looking at her, curious.

But before Kes could ask her what it was, Ezri advanced on her, and Kes felt Ezri’s lips on her own in a chaste kiss.

However, before Kes had time to reciprocate or even close her eyes, Ezri turned away, the panic clear in her face.

“I really shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry!”

Kes frowned; even if it was impulsive, she didn’t want Ezri to apologize for it.

“It’s okay, really. Kes, I...”

“You just told me you wanted time! Oh my god, I...”

Ezri wasn’t listening to her; she scooped up her bag, and was on her feet in seconds.

“Ezri, come back!” Kes was on her feet now, too “I’m not offended, we should talk!”

“I’m sorry!” Ezri said, practically running away now.

In seconds Kes was alone, even more confused than before; Ezri’s interest was more than obvious now, but she didn’t know what to think after that kiss.

And even if it was to quickly for Kes to decide if she liked it or not, she couldn’t help but rub her fingers on her lips, as if she still could feel Ezri’s lips on her on.

***

Kes tried to reach out for Ezri for several days after that; she tried on Starfleet Academy, she tried calling her and she tried to talk with her online, but it really seemed like Ezri didn’t want to talk with her in any way after that afternoon.

Kes could understand her affliction, but she really missed her friend, and she was frankly hurt with the suddenly distance.

That was the reason of why she was on her laptop, still on Nebula’s Coffee way after her shift ended; she didn’t want to go home, but didn’t want to hang out with anybody.

Also, it was always quiet on Nebula’s Coffee during this time of the evening; only three or four tables had clients, so it was calm enough for Kes to be in silence.

Or at least, that was the initial idea, because all that Kes felt now was lonely.

She didn’t want to call any of her friends, but she felt lonelier and lonelier each passing moment, and more frustrated than ever.

When she looked up from her laptop, she saw that now there was only two tables occupied; both of them were people with laptops, too, and when she looked at the counter, she saw Seven standing there, looking bored out of her mind.

_This is quite a feature actually_ , Kes thought; Seven was usually a very stoic person, and it was rare of her to appear so expressive and bored in working hours.

Encouraged by the idea that Seven would welcome conversation as much as she would, Kes approached her on the counter.

“You seem really bored today.”

“You seem restless today,” Seven replied, looking up at Kes, her eyes looking more alive than just a few seconds ago.

“I guess I am,” Kes sighed, sitting down and putting her elbows on the counter.

“You are usually very calm. Should I presume that this is about Ezri?”

“I still couldn’t reach out for her. I’m beginning to think that she really, really don’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

“I don’t know her,” Seven shrugged “But I would not bet on this. She seems to like you. She is probably still nervous about whatever happened when you last saw each other.”

Kes looked down; she didn’t told anyone in clear terms what exactly had happened, but she wanted a honest opinion, and no one would be so good on it as Seven would.

“I asked her if she was attracted to me. She said she was, I said that I thought I was too, but I wasn’t sure... then she kissed me and practically ran away.”

Seven raised her brows, caught by surprise by Kes’ bluntness.

“Well, it does seem quite simple now, doesn’t it?

Kes didn’t say anything expecting Seven to elaborate, which she didn’t.

“Simple how?” Kes finally asked.

Seven furrowed her brows, like she always did when she was concentrating in something.

“You know I’m not good with interpersonal relationships. I do not have much of an experience on it. However, I can recognize a common pattern when I see one, and even I can see that she is probably insecure with your lack of certainty.”

Kes sighed, looking at Seven.

“She thinks I don’t want her and neither her friendship anymore, doesn’t she?”

Seven shrugged.

“As I say, I do not know her enough, but this seems to be the case for me.”

Kes only nodded, and before she could say anything, Seven was called for the check out of one of the tables, leaving Kes alone with the certainty that she really needed to do something to show Ezri how mistaken she was.

***

Kes was shifting from foot to foot, her arms crossed while she waited on Starfleet’s refectory.

The place was almost empty; most of the students were in class in this time of the day, or doing research on the library. It wasn’t Kes case, considering that she hadn’t any classes that day.

However, Ezri did.

She thought it was a bit of a desperate measure, but she was feeling pretty desperate herself; it had been almost three weeks now since the kiss incident with Ezri, and she couldn’t get a hold of her.

Kes even thought that maybe she could go to DD9 and try to talk with her there, but she didn’t want to be unprofessional. It was in a conversation with Tuvok, during a break on DD9, that he gave her the idea of waiting for her during a day were she didn’t have classes but Ezri did. She liked the idea immediately, but wondered if this wouldn’t look as a trap.

“Indeed, this would be a trap,” the Vulcan had said to her then “And normally I would say that you should try another, less extreme approach, but I can see that you are suffering, and I would suspect that she is in a similar state.”

She glanced at her phone to check the time; she was waiting for a while, and it could be any minute, now.

And in fact, just a few minutes later, Kes could see Ezri’s familiar head walking in the refectory’s direction, a Bajoran girl beside her.

Ezri didn’t saw her standing there and only noticed when Kes was right in front of her; Kes could see when her eyes widened in shock.

“I need to talk to you,” Kes started.

“Can it be another time? I’m busy today,” Ezri tried to walk away, but Kes was quicker.

“No, it can’t. I’m trying to talk with you for weeks now, and it has to be now,” Kes said, thinking that she needed to say what she wanted before she lost the courage.

The Bajoran woman beside Ezri was looking at the scene with clear curiosity, but when she noticed that Kes was looking at her, she turned at Ezri with a shrug.

“We don’t really have anything urgent to do, Ezri. You can talk with your friend, we can research it tomorrow.”

Ezri opened her mouth to protest, but before she could do anything, the woman walked away, and she turned in Kes’ direction, looking simultaneously angry and embarrassed.

“Can we talk like two adults, Ezri, please?” Kes pleaded “Please, we can just sit into a table and talk, and I promise that I’ll go away after if that’s what you want.”

Ezri still looked annoyed for a few more seconds, but then she sighed and nodded.

“I’m sorry, you’re right, it’s just... let’s sit down.”

They walked a few steps, until they sat down in one of the tables; Kes’ stomach was too heavy for her to even consider the possibility of drinking something, much less eating.

Ezri wasn’t looking at her, and when it was clear that she had no intention of starting the conversation, Kes took the initiative.

“Why are you avoiding me so much, Ezri? Did I offend you somehow?”

Ezri licked her lips, and took a few seconds to reply.

“No, no you didn’t, and I’m sorry for the whole avoiding thing. That was probably very childish and thoughtless.”

Kes didn’t say anything; she was still waiting for Ezri to reply the first question.

“And for as the why... I guess I was just trying to avoid the inevitable awkwardness.”

“I think our whole friendship is based in mutual awkwardness,” Kes observed, and that made Ezri smiled for a few seconds, before turning serious again.

“I know, I know, it’s just...” She bit her lip “I didn’t want you feeling sorry for me.”

Kes looked surprised at that, and couldn’t stop the question on her mind.

“Why would I ever pity you?”

Ezri looked at Kes then, her blue eyes more serious and concentrated than she ever saw before.

“You are here to give me the whole _I-only-see-you-as-my-friend-I’m-sorry-you’re-great-and-still-will-find-someone_ discourse, aren’t you? And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t appreciate your friendship because I do, I really do, but I still have feelings, ok?”

“Ezri, I don’t...”

“And you’re this wonderful person and I know you probably don’t want to hurt me, but still, I don’t want you to lie to me. I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

“Ezri...”

“All I ask of you is that you give me some time so I can get over it, because I swear, I don’t want to lose your friendship, but right now, I just can’t, and...”

Realizing that Ezri wasn’t going to let her speak, Kes threw caution out of the window, and interrupted Ezri mid sentence with a brief kiss.

When Kes backed away, she glanced nervously at Ezri to see her reaction; Ezri seemed to be too shocked for words.

Kes blushed, a little smile in her face.

“You should really stop believing in the worst possible result of every situation, you know. I wanted to talk to you not because I pity you, or because I wanted to give you a _let’s-just-be-friends_ speech.”

Ezri swallowed, still looking a bit disoriented.

“You are saying...”

“I’m saying that I want to be with you, Ezri. I... I want to give it a try. I want to be with you.”

Ezri still seemed confused, but her scepticism was slowly melting from her face.

“You want to... with me? Even if I’m a big mess of anxiety, awkwardness and inferiority complex?”

Kes smiled, and took one of Ezri’s hand on her own.

“Even with all. Even with your bad habit of bumping into me and knocking me on the ground.”

That made Ezri finally laugh, and made Kes’ heart skip a beat on her chest.

“If that’s so, I... I would like to try, too. To be with you.”

Ezri was still a bit flushed, and looking absolutely adorable to Kes; she wondered how she never noticed before the nature of her feelings for Ezri.

As she leaned in for another kiss, Kes decided that it wasn’t important at all; all that really mattered was that she had Ezri, and she wasn’t planning on letting go anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> The title was taken from the song You Are A Tourist, by Death Cab For Cutie.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think! I spent a lot of time in this fic and I would appreciate very much any kind of feedback :D


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